‘Many tried to make me leave the force before my time’

NEXT week Tuesday will be officially the last day for Commissioner of Police, Leroy Brumell on the job. 

Today a massive farewell parade is planned for the outgoing commissioner who has served the Guyana Police Force in many areas and more recently as its acting Police Commissioner before being sworn in as the 30th Police Commissioner in October of 2013.
Speaking to ranks of the Police “A” Division on Wednesday, Brumell made it clear that he came into the Guyana Police Force without enemies and when he leaves on Tuesday he wants to leave without enemies.
Further he assured that today at his farewell parade he will not be embarrassing anyone or making any deliberate statements to insult anyone when he delivers his farewell speech.
Recalling his days as a police officer, the outgoing Top Cop pointed to several transfers to various parts of the force and divisions years ago. Speaking to his junior ranks on Wednesday he also recalled being demoted for two years while he watch other ranks who were below him pass him to be named senior officers although he had been serving before them.
While not fussing he was quick to point out that it was all part of the job and it comes with the kit.
“I had bad times in the Guyana Police Force. There were those who did me all sorts of things for me to leave this work,” Brumell recalled.
He even told his ranks that when the pressure was high on him, whenever he sat with a pen or paper, his wife would walk up to him and snatch it, trashing the paper and taking a hold of the pen. He explained that she always thought that he was writing his resignation.
However, Leroy Brumell assured that he was stronger than those who tried to make him leave the force and with the encouragement and support from his wife he was able to make it to the end.
Brumell recalled that when he was in charge of the Narcotics Branch of the Force his work caused him to step on many persons toes. He even pointed to one case where he was out on private business when he was approached by a known character with dealings in the underworld. He said that the individual informed him that he (the drug dealer) heard that Brumell was going to be transferred.
Brumell said that what was very surprising was that the utterance of the man was news to him but the next week he was transferred to Berbice.
The Top Cop who has been a member of the Guyana Police Force for more than 30 years explained that one of the most moving times for him in the Guyana Police Force was when he was sworn in as the Police Commissioner of Police.
He told his officers that the reason he cried that day was because he never expected to ever be confirmed as the country’s Commissioner of Police.
Brumell told his officers that he is ensuring that he leaves a clean slate for the next man who will be taking over from him. He said that when he took over the helm of the Police Force because of the circumstances, he was forced to deal with a huge backlog of matters left by his predecessor.
He assured that all files are being cleared out so that the new Commissioner of Police will be able to have a clean transition and nothing that comes to his desk will be left over work or unfinished work.
In speaking of how he intends to end the day on Tuesday, Brumell said that he will have breakfast with all his senior divisional officers and commanders and staff of headquarters, he said that will be followed with a maximum of 30 minutes with the new commissioner alone before making his way out of the Guyana Police Force Headquarters.
On Wednesday Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that Leroy Brumell has done a good job in the Guyana Police Force and is leaving the Force untarnished unlike others. He said that the legacy of Leroy Brumell will be the recently commissioned Special Weapons and Tactic Unit SWAT team.
Meanwhile, as Brumell leaves the Guyana Police Force there are some cases which will always be remembered as the cases that occurred during his tenure.
Those are the execution style killing of designer Trevor Rose for which no one has been charged; the gunning down of a man by a national cricketer who was later freed and ordered re arrested due to lax police work; the shooting of Dameon Belgrave at the White Castle Fish shop by police who were operating outside their jurisdiction; the shooting of a young Agricola teen by a group of police two of whom have since fled the country and are on the International Wanted List; the freeing of a man who was charged by the police for the execution style killing of one of their own but who was reportedly tortured by the police while in custody and the most recent case where a businessman was freed after the police failed to convince a civilian witness to show up for court.
Brumell plans to spend more time with his family and do a bit more exercising when he leaves office on Tuesday.

(By Leroy Smith)